Opaque
by misslulucup
Summary: "You shouldn't throw your whole life away just because it's banged up a little bit." A struggling mutant girl is rescued and recruited by the X-Men to help defeat Sebastian Shaw. Along the ride she comes across Alex Summers once again. Shortly afterwards, their awful pasts catches up with them. Havok/OC.
1. Prologue

_Hey everyone! This is my first X-Men fanfic! And so I decided to go the route of starting with First Class. The plot line has been tweaked to accommodate my character and her life. So hope you like the story!_

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own X-Men, in any way or form, I only own my own characters and tweaks to the plot line._

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She took a harsh turn down the narrow alleyway. They seemed to be places she ended up in. The dark haired girl twisted her head back, searching for her chaser. Soon enough, the large figure was sprinting after her in a mad dash. She smirked, gripping tighter onto the deep crimson velvet pouch in her hand. She abruptly stopped, and pressed herself against the cold brick wall. The man approached where she was, and cackled when he neared her. "Too tired doll face?" He pants, and seizes a hand out, snatching thin air. He looked puzzled, as he frantically attacked the wall where she pushed up on, but nothing was there. "Damn it!" He cursed, continuing down the alleyway, casting a glance back and fourth, making sure he doesn't miss the little runt.

The brunette now exited the way she entered into the alleyway, away from the perpetrator, and snickered as she sprinted down the sidewalk in the shadows. The brisk spring air pricked her skin, and she regretted the fact she was not wearing pants. But all that mattered to her now was that she had money to buy food, and a few more outfits, and if she stayed in the shadows, she could get away with it, and not have anyone chase her down for it.

She knew stealing was bad, but it truly mattered to her at the moment, until she can find a place to hide out, and someone to help her survive in the thriving world. The sixties were harsher than she expected. Either you were rich or middle class. And whenever a poor person was spotted in her town, they were shunned from all other beings. She was an outcast in the eyes of those who knew her.

The brunette entered in a small clothing store called 'Ricky's', and sadly it was a thrift store, but it was all she could afford. When she stepped inside, and out of the shadows, the cashier always on shift perked up at the sight of the girl. "Kate! Come on in! So great to see you." The elderly woman squeaked to the girl, and waved her in more.

"Hey Mara, I got paid so I was going to treat myself." She smiled, holding up the pouch, and Mara beamed at her, the wrinkles on her face rolling over, her gray eyes twinkling just gazing at the girl. Her long silver hair was done up in a bun, a pencil poked through it.

"Well go ahead, and you know what, I'll give you a discount, two for the price of one," she winked at the girl, "now, don't go tell your friends, missy, I've got to keep a strict policy on sales."

"Will do Mar." Kate winked back at her, as she let her blue eyes roam over to the tops and dresses. She decided on a red plaid dress, a black top, a pair of pants, and a new pair of saddles. She brought the items up to ring them up, paid the cheap amount, and was off with her day.

"Have a great night, Katie dear, and don't go tell them people about our secret!" The old woman called out, and Kate only laughed in response, and exited out into the night, as she pulled her sweater tighter around her body, and headed towards the church she was staking out at, as the pastor was fond of the girl. She reached the enormous, chestnut brown double doors, and moved to step inside when she felt something was off.

Spinning around, two men stood behind her. She backed up against the door, and quickly glanced left and right, trying to find a way to escape from them. Then she felt the tingling feeling in her mind, and she gulped.

'_We are not here to hurt you, Katelyn, only to discuss a few things.' _The moment she heard one of their voices in her mind, she panicked, forcing up her mental block, and pushed one of the men back, as the other tried to catch his stumbling friend. Then Kate was off, taking a full sprint towards the shadows. But she wasn't quick enough, because she felt tugging on her necklace, earrings and bracelets as they began to drag her back to them.

She was going to be killed. It was probably two bookies coming to 'take care of business' because she crossed the line with Franco Gringrich, a popular mobster in her town, Kinglsey, New Jersey.

'_What do you want?!' _She shrieked into their minds, the tone piercing their ears, as they covered them, grunting in pain, but yet she was still held down by one of the men, whom she discovered with her telepathy to be a metallokinetic. She struggled, but the metal held her down, and remained frozen in her spot.

"Please, Katelyn, calm down. You are like us. And we only want to talk." The shorter man, who when she read him figured out his name was Charles, spoke it was the same voice as the one speaking in her mind. She did become calm, and then Charles turned to his friend and told him to stop. The tugging on her body released her, and she slightly stumbled forward, but caught her footing, and balanced herself. She gripped onto the hem of her dress, and nervously glimpsed at them. "Let me introduce myself and my partner. I'm Charles Xavier, and this is Erik Lehnsherr." The metallokinetic nodded towards her, and she glared at him, but forced her blue eyes back upon the Charles.

"So what do you need to talk to me about?" She bit down on her words.

"We would like to get to know you more. And by the looks of it, you sure do like to keep a few things secret. But your powers, those are what stand out most about you." Charles informed her.

"So what? I'm a telepath, and I can manipulate darkness. Big deal. Now, Charles, I can see there clearly is more than just talking." She raised an eyebrow, and Erik looked smug next to his companion. She shot him a scowl, and he returned the same scowl to her.

"You're right. So would it be alright if you came with us to Richmond?"

She watched him in surprise, and widened her eyes. "So you want me…to go with you two…to Richmond, Virginia…and you expect me not to find this a bit suspicious?" Erik huffed, and she sent him another piercing shriek, and he groaned in agony, covering his ears.

"I'm sure you can handle yourself if we try to do anything to you." Erik hissed to her, as he recovered from her trick. Charles grinned.

"Come on now." And she sighed, shaking her head. All she could get from Charles was that they were going somewhere involving the government, and a place with others just 'like' her.

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_So how was it for a prologue? Good? Bad? _

_Review, Favorite, Follow!_


	2. Chapter 1

_Hey guys! I really like where this story is heading, and I want to thank everyone who gave great feedback from the prologue. Sorry it's so late at night. Enjoy!_

___**Disclaimer:** I don't own X-Men, in any way or form, I only own my own characters and tweaks to the plot line._

* * *

_Young and frightened, Kate could only think of ways to get out. To leave. _

_She hurdled over a log, then her bare feet collided against the hard, gravelly surface, as she continued forth on her painful journey. She could hear faintly the sirens blaring in the distance, the howling of the hounds, and the angry thoughts of the guards. They were on a hunt. For her. An experiment couldn't get away. If they exposed themselves to the world, their business would be shut down._

_She leapt over a large rock, and landed on a twig, as it snapped under her foot. The hounds began to bark crazily the moment they heard the sound. She was doomed. Done. They were going to get her, and drag her back to the institute. She remembered exactly what they did to experiments who tried to escape, and she did not want that._

_She had to give this sprinting marathon her all. It was either freedom or to be 'put to sleep' in the guards words. It made her stomach clench thinking of that phrase. _

_Kate was lucky to have night vision. The power came to her when she discovered she could disappear into the shadows. It made things a whole lot easier. So when it was past twilight, and she was running for her life, this power sure did come in hand. _

_Her head snapped back to see the guards, who were gaining onto her. When she picked up the speed, she turned around, there not even ten feet away was a cliff. This was it. She was trapped. She scanned her surroundings, but nothing was in sight._

_Kate's heart race, as she heard the howls of the hounds, the grunting of the guards, and her last moments of being free were over. She closed her eyes, and a small tear trickled down her cheek. Then they were presented before her. Their flash lights searched around for her, and she tried hard to hide in the darkness, but they had found her. _

"_There's the little kitten." One of the men sneered, and approached her. _

"_No, no!" She screamed._

"Please don't-" She startled awake, thrashing her arms around, and a light, delicate hand settled on her arm.

"Katelyn, it's okay. You're safe now. We're here." She heard Charles's faint voice say, and the brunette was wide awake now, as she perked up her head, her glassy blue eyes opening, as they gazed out of the car window. They were here. And by here, they mean a CIA government issued facility made for mutants like her, Division X is what Charles called it. So she finally belonged somewhere where people didn't shun her, and doctors didn't harass her with needles and constant tests.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked, seeing that it was still dark outside.

"Not long, less than thirty minutes." Charles smiled lightly at her.

"How did we get here so fast?" She asked with her brows furrowed. Charles glanced at Erik, and the two chuckled. What was so funny?

She exited the car, and slung her knap sack over her shoulder, as the three escorted themselves to the front.

"Ah, Charles, Erik, welcome back. I see you have brought one more recruit." A large, more plump man greeted them, as he sported a black suit, wore square glasses, and had jet black hair. He extended his hand out to her. "I'm Agent Platt, and I promise you I'm on your side."

"Kate Lancer, and by that I hope you mean you support us, because you aren't a mutant." Platt raised his eyebrows, glancing to Charles. "I'm a telepath too Mr. Platt." The man smiled, his cheeks scrunching up.

"Maybe we can use her for the Cerebro." Platt suggested, and Charles shook his head. "Well, anyway, let's introduce you to your new partners, Kate. You'll be with them for a…long while, so might as well get acquainted." Then the suited man twisted around, and lead the three around the facility, as he pointed out what different rooms were, and history facts about the place.

How could it have history? They must have just built it.

Charles snickered behind her, and she knew he couldn't help but have read her mind. She shot him a look saying into his mind _'Do it again, and you'll regret it'_.

They rounded a corner, and headed towards double doors, where she could hear talking. "And here are the others." Platt said, gesturing towards the doors. She hesitated, but entered into the room, followed by the three other men.

"Everyone, I would like you to meet your new recruit -" Charles began loudly, his hands politely tucked behind his back, but he was cut off by another voice.

"Runt?" A deep voice said, and Kate knew that voice immediately. Her blue eyes shot towards where it came from, and found the owner. None other than Alex Summers sat on a chair, his blue eyes wide as he glared at her.

"Summers?" She hissed, watching him. His blonde hair had grown out longer, instead of being completely shaved. His haunting, torturing blue eyes hardened looking at her. His mouth was in a tight line. So many memories flooded her mind. "You! What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that-" He was retaliating, but she huffed, throwing up her arms, watching him bewildered.

"Me? You should be asking me?! You knew I was different! You are the one who should be talking!" She now stormed towards him, as she raised a fist, yelling at him with her telepathy, using profanity that the others could not hear, thankfully. Well, except Charles.

'_Kate, calm your mind.' _Charles disobeyed her previous threat, and got into her mind. _'Please, calm your mind.' _He could feel her tension, could see her horrible past with Alex, and knew that she must get past this in order to be able to work together with him.

Her muscles relaxed, and her jaw unclenched, as she bored deep into Alex's eyes, her flickering flame of hatred for him slightly dying down. "Thank you." Charles finally spoke, and everyone in the room observed the whole scene with confused expressions. One of them, a redheaded boy, cleared his throat, and Alex finally broke off from the staring contest between he and Kate.

"Well, I think we should leave you all to get to know each other." Erik said awkwardly, and the three men exited the room.

Kate sat across the room from Alex, as she placed herself in a chair between the two couches. Her back to the window.

"Well, uh…hi, I'm Raven, that's Angel," The blonde began to introduce herself to Kate, then gestured towards the girl on Kate's right. "And this is Hank," Raven pointed toward at the boy wearing glasses sitting beside her.

"I'm Darwin." The dark skinned man inserted, raising his hand. Kate smiled lightly at him.

"And you may call me Sean." The redheaded boy bowed towards her, and she chuckled.

Alex sat still in his chair, eyeing the brunette across the room. He couldn't believe she was here. The little runt was in the same room as him. And just looking at her set his teeth on edge. She was the reason he was held in jail, she was the reason he hid from the world for so long. She made him lose himself. Lose security about himself.

"We were just talking about how we're government agents now, and that we need code-names." Raven returned, and Kate landed his blue eyes upon the girl. "I want to be called Mystique." She looked smug about it.

"Dang, I wanted to be called Mystique." Sean clicked the ending of the name.

"Tough, I called it, and besides," Suddenly Raven turned into a clone of Sean. "I'm way more mysterious than you." Sean 2 said. Everyone gasped, and when she morphed back they clapped. "What about you Darwin?"

"Well, Darwin is already a nickname. Adapt to survive and all. Check it out," he rose from his seat, and strutted towards the fish tank as he wiggled his eyebrows at them, making sure they all were watching, then he dunked his face into the tank, and soon enough gills scaled onto his neck. He smiled to them, and they all cheered and clap. Darwin bowed to them laughing softly. "What about you?" He pointed to Sean.

"I want to be called…Banshee." He hesitated, thinking of a code name.

Hank straightened up. "What do you want to be named after a wailing spirit?" Everyone's attention was divided to Sean.

"You might want to cover your ears." Sean suggested, as he stood up. Everyone glanced at each other with a question in their gaze, before slowly raising hands over their ears. Sean took in a deep breath, and leveled himself to the row of glasses filled with pop. He glanced around, then let out a piercing whistle, missing the glasses and instead hitting the window behind Kate. She fell forward and away from the glass as it shattered behind her. Everyone chuckled in surprise.

"How about you Angel?" Kate asked politely to the girl beside her.

"Well," She began to get up, "my uh, stage name, is Angel," then she removed her jacket off of her shoulders, and Sean whistled to her. "Kind of fits." She twisted around to show everyone her colorful dragonfly wings. Kate gaped at them, along with Raven.

"You can fly?!" Raven asked with envy.

"Uh-huh, and uh," She turned around to face the window that shattered, and spat out a small flaming ball, as it flew towards the golden statue outside, and when it struck the head of the statue, it boiled the surface of it like acid. Kate began to feel her powers were kind of weak compared to the others.

"Your turn." Angel pointed towards Hank, and he suddenly hung his head, gazing at his feet. Alex started laughing.

"How about Big Foot?" Kate didn't want to read Hank's mind, but she knew it had something to do with his feet. Maybe he had monkey feet, with opposable thumbs.

Raven gave Alex a harsh glance, then cocked an eyebrow. "Well, you know what they say about big feet…and yours are kind of small." Kate snorted, and Alex glared at her, as the others chuckled. Raven glimpsed to Hank, and blushed softly.

"Okay, so Kate, let's see what you can do." Sean asked her, eyeing her. She rolled her blue eyes at him but smiled. _Okay, here we go. _She thought.

'_Well first, I guess you get to find out I'm a telepath.' _She thought to them all, and they began to cover their ears, listening to her voice, accepting it. They all smiled and laughed. "And I can also…" She trailed, as she stood up from where she was, and walked over behind one of the couches. The moment her feet touched the shadow it was casting, she disappeared from their eyes.

"Amazing!" Raven said, as everyone clapped and gaped.

"That's not all." Alex grumbled, leaning back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest, narrowing his eyes upon Kate.

"What else could you possibly do?" Angel asked, a bit of jealously in her tone, since the brunette has so many powers.

"It's nothing really." Kate insisted.

"Supernatural senses and agility." Alex began, "Her senses are enhanced two times more than an average person, as well as speed and strength." Alex informed them, as if he was reading off her résumé. He stared her down as she plopped down back into her seat. He couldn't stand watching her, yet he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"I think you should be called Shadow!" Sean said excitedly.

"No, that's too simple. Anyone could chose Shadow." Raven returned.

A name popped into her mind, and Kate grinned. "How about Opaque? You know, another word for a solid color." Everyone began nodding with wide smiles, it fit, and sounded great.

Opaque.

She could get use to that.

OoOoOo

Kate was watching the others as they goofed around. She sat patiently on the couch, sipping from her bottle of pop, taking mental notes of everyone in the room. She smiled at Raven's ridiculous dancing, the swaying Angel was making while flying, and Hank mouthing along with the music as he dangled from one of the hanging lamps. She glanced behind her to observe the boys rough housing. Alex and Sean beating chairs and scrap pieces of things in the room against Darwin, as he adapted with a hard armadillo-like armor over his torso. Sean caught her eye, and raised his eyebrows to see if she wanted to give a go with beating something against Darwin. She chuckled and shook her head.

A slight tingle triggered in the back of her mind, but she ignored it. Laughing as Darwin kept yelling for the boys to hit harder, and that he couldn't feel a thing.

Kate began to hear hollow, faint voices, and decided against tuning in. Probably some agents. She really hated listening to their boring conversations.

"…they're an exceptional bunch-" Now Kate could hear Charles voice. She put up her mental block, and hid quickly into the shadows as Charles, Erik, and a Moira MacTaggert, who she learned very much from at that moment, approached the shattered window, and the party of teens.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" The C.I.A. agent practically screamed to them, and all the kids immediately stopped. Alex and Sean dropping their things, Raven stepping off the couch, Hank dropping to the ground, and Angel landing softly on the ground. Kate tried to creep away in the shadows, but there wasn't enough to get her out the window. "Who destroyed the statue?" Moira hastily asked pointing towards the sliced in half statue still on fire from Alex's surprising mutation that he had, of plasmid energy rings.

"It was Alex." Hank quickly responded, and Alex shot him a look.

"No, Havok." Raven interrupted with a wild grin, "We have to call him Havok. And we were thinking," she pointed to Charles, "you should be Professor X," then to Erik, "and you should be Magneto."

Erik eyed her. "Exceptional." He merely said, then stalked off. Only Kate understood what he said, and grief flooded over her.

Moira just search every single one of their eyes, then shook her head slightly and stalked off.

Charles lingered, watching his sister, disappointment washed over him. "I expect more of you." And then he took turn and left them.

They all glanced at each other, feeling guilty and awful, the same feeling a child get's after being yelled at by their parent. They all sat down, staring down at their feet, calming their emotions. Finally Sean spoke up.

"Where's Kate?"

OoOoOo

Kate lugged her knapsack over her shoulder, and pushed open the front door of the facility, as she stalked off, thinking of ways to get back to Kingsley. She felt deep down in her gut that this just wasn't the right place for her, and that she was only going dig herself a deeper grave. If any of her contact information could be released to other government issued corporations, Kate would immediately be hunted down and drug back to the institute, and that was the last place on her mind to go.

She jingled the money in her coat pocket, enough to get her as far as Charlottesville. Now to find a bus station.

"So you want to leave?" She heard a voice speak from behind her. She twisted around to find, of all people, Alex watching her, leaning up against one of the pillars holding up the overhang, his hands tucked in his pockets.

"I'd be better off without this group." She admitted.

He took a step forward. "Why? You think something might start between us? Might turn in someone else into custody?" He sneered.

She sighed. "I don't belong here. I mean, I'm Runt after all. Who needs a backstabber here."

"We could use you, and protect you here." Alex offered. He was…being sincere. He never was like that before when they were in the gang. He use to hit her, to scream at her, and to treat her like she had no feelings.

She only laughed humorlessly. "No, you don't need me. Listen, I've dug myself a deep grave, I've been in terrible situations, and to belong in a governmental environment will only get me into deeper shit. I've got loose ends that cannot be tied up, and being here will only do the opposite."

"I get where you're coming from-" Alex began, moving towards her, but she jerked back, looking furious.

"No! You don't understand. Okay? You've never had to go through the pain, the torture that I did. You never had to have your whole life taken from you, and pushed straight into hell." She yelled back at him.

He exhaled. "Maybe I don't understand." He hesitated. "Fine. I'm not going to stop you. But I want to let you know that I don't want you to leave. And neither does anyone else. This is a place where what you truly are is accepted." He bored into her blue eyes. "No more running away, Kate."

"It's my only choice." She returned sorrowfully. He nodded slowly, taking in her appearance, then turned his back on her and stalked back to the facility.

"Just think about it." He said finally. Then he was gone.

OoOoOo

"_You better run, Runt!" His voice was loud and haunting. It coursed through her mind every night, the sound keeping her awake. It was awful to hear, and it made her blood run cold. It incessantly repeated in her mind, and she could never get it to stop. His tone, his towering figure, the crushing feel of his fist, all of it flooding back into her mind. She couldn't get it out. She didn't want to. It was a reminder of the wronging she did, the hell he put her through. It was what gave her the burning hatred she needed, and that's how she liked it. _

_Kate will never forget the night when she freed herself from the hell Alex Summers put her through, and threw him into._

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_And that is Chapter 1. _

_Review, Favorite, Follow!_


	3. Chapter 2

_Hey guys! Wow! This is a long chapter, but full of action! Had to tweak a very good majority in order to fit in Kate. Well, hope you like it!_

___**Disclaimer:** I don't own X-Men, in any way or form, I only own my own characters and tweaks to the plot line_

* * *

The next morning, Alex trudged down the hallway from his room towards the kitchen/dining area the facility provided. It was a bit crappy, and made him feel claustrophobic, but he ignored the tugging feeling, as he entered the room, still trying to wake up. He moved towards the coffee maker, starting it up, when something caught the corner of his eye. He twisted around to face the person. There she sat, her long brown hair tied up, her blue-grey eyes following his every move, and a light grin perked on her pink lips.

"Kate?" He asked, still trying to focus on her. She shrugged, and he knew she was trying with all of her might not to read his mind, to figure out his emotion.

She stood up, picking up her empty bowl of what use to be cereal. "I thought you'd at least be a bit happy to see me." He knew then she hadn't read his mind, because in all honesty he was actually very glad she did stay. She placed the empty bowl in the sink, and turned to exit the room when he caught her wrist.

"I'm really happy you did stay." She let the smile come back onto her face. "I'm glad I got past that stubbornness and could convince you to do something instead of…well." He didn't want to remember all of the horrible things he use to do to her so she would obey his orders.

She gave him an understanding nod and a soft chuckle, and once more headed to leave, but he called out to her.

"Kate." She faced him, with a confused expression. "I promise you that I will never do anything to harm you." Her eyes brightened, and it sent shivers down his spine. He rarely saw this mood, and it pained him to think he never let her express it.

"Thank you, Alex." And this time she did leave without saying another word.

OoOoOo

"Knock knock!" Raven's cheerful voice rang into Kate's room. Once the brunette didn't respond, the shape shifter took it upon herself to enter the room. Kate was asleep in her bed, softly breathing, looking so peaceful. Raven gave a half smile, and was about to close the door when Kate muttered something.

Raven quickly tip toed closer, feeling a bit rude for intruding and basically going through someone else's privacy, but she couldn't resist. People always had juicy things to say in their sleep, and Raven would love to dish out on some gossip.

She listened with open ears as Kate exhaled, letting words flow from her lips. _"Alex, this isn't a good idea." _Raven snickered, so it was something about Havok. _"Please! Please stop!" _Kate was now pleading in her sleep. _"Don't hurt him! He didn't do anything wrong!" _Now the brunette was practically giving a desperate shrill, and Raven suddenly felt awful. She couldn't stand it anymore. She shook Kate wake, and the telepath jolted up, tears running down her cheeks, as she stared bewildered at Raven.

"Wha-what are you doing here?" Kate asked through a cracked voice. She lifted her hands to wipe the trail of tears.

"I-I'm sorry. I was just going to check on you…a-and then suddenly you started saying things in your sleep. I could take it anymore, so I woke you up. I'm so sorry Kate." Raven rapidly explained, her face flushed.

The brunette ran a shaking hand through her tied up hair. She let out a light gasp. "It was just a bad dream. I-I get those a lot."

"Could you tell me what happened? I just want to help." The blonde offered.

Kate gave a sorrowful, weak smile. "You'd be better off not knowing the hell I went through."

Raven took the other girl's hand, and gave it a little squeeze. "Please?"

The brunette sighed, as she closed her eyes, and held onto the blonde's hand, letting flashing memories flood out of her mind and wash over Raven's. _Needles, bright lights, doctors giving stinging zaps, excruciating tests involving so much mental pain. Then it moved on to her escape, the malady of crushing rocks and twigs against her sensitive skin, the guards and blood hounds close behind. Her amazing slickness of getting past them. It fast-forwarded to Alex taking her in to his group. And showed his yelling at her, slapping her when she did something wrong, the names he and the others called her. Then it jumped to the day when she helped set the trap, capturing Alex and sending him to solitary confinement. _

Then as quick as that, the memoir of Kate's horrific life ended. Raven's blue eyes were rimmed red, tears daring to escape. "Oh god, now I truly do feel terrible." She spoke with a hushed tone.

"Its okay now. That's the whole reason I stayed. Because I'm safe here." Kate smiled, but then became serious, "can you promise not to tell anyone you saw this?" Raven nodded.

And the question she was hoping to never hear came up. "Is there any memories of when you were younger? Like before then?"

Kate sighed. "I can't remember."

OoOoOo

The young adults had the day off, since they proved to Charles and Erik they were not prepared to go along with them to ambush Shaw. So instead the decided to hang out, and mess around while they waited for the return of the two men and Moira. Kate decided to teach Sean, Raven and Angel how to play a game called Pfiefer. It was a popular card game she learned from Mara, the woman from the thrift store.

It involves teams of two, and only the cards nine and up are used. It was a diverse and conniving game, and that's what made Kate love it. All the while Alex and Darwin were playing pinball, and declined the offer Kate consistently inquired.

Soon it reached lunch time, and surprisingly, Agent Platt made them grilled cheese. "It's the only thing I know how to make, well besides cereal and a PB&J." And the kids chuckled, as he left them to continue on with his meeting with other C.I.A. officials for the usage the kids could be used while in the war. So what Kate read from him.

Soon after lunch was done, Hank excitedly rushed back to the lounge room after he was saying about working on Cerebro, giving tweaks and modifications to the machine. "Kate, can I speak with you?" He happy asked, and she gave him a baffled glimpse but nodded, joining him. Alex immediately straightened up when he heard Hank call over to her. He excused himself from Darwin and Sean, who joined them in their pinball 'tournament'.

"What do you need with her, bozo?" Alex asked protectively, with a hint of a snarl in his tone.

Kate glared at the blonde. "Alex, he just wanted to see if I could try out the Cerebro." And gave an apologetic glance to Hank, since she had read his mind.

Alex's eyebrows knitted together, scrunching on side of his face. "I'm going too. Make sure nothing goes wrong."

OoOoOo

"Okay, so basically, what this machine does is the electrodes connect you to the transmitter which is on the roof. When you pick up a mutant, your brain sends a signal through a relay, and then the coordinates of their location," Hank motioned to the table piled with machinery and supplies Kate could barely recognize. "And they'll be printed out here," his finger pointed to what appeared as a typewriter already stocked.

The brunette let her eyes roam around the Cerebro, as she took in the helmet she would place on, as well as the gadgets and wires used. Alex looked uncomfortable, and crossed his arms tightly over his chest, clenching his jaw.

"I still don't think this is a good idea. Why are you even doing this?" The blonde directed the question towards Hank, but Kate couldn't help but step in.

"Because Charles isn't here, and while he is away, we could pick up coordinates for more mutants he and Erik could recruit." Alex sighed.

"I still feel like this isn't a good idea."

"Well, it is my choice." Kate snapped back. Then she marched up towards the helmet, as she basked in it's glory. She stood beneath it, and placed it over her head.

"Okay now," Hank clapped his hands together after firing up the Cerebro. He approached Kate from behind, "I'm just going to let you know that there will be a quick shock. But it's not painful."

She suddenly turned white, and glanced behind her shoulder to the scientist, "Shock always means painful." She muttered, and he scrunched his face with sorrow, and nodded before stepping back.

"Ready?" He asked her.

"Nope." She replied, a bit of joking a tone, but she really wasn't. Alex gave her a worried expression, and she only returned him a smile before closing her eyes, waiting for the machine to work.

The lights in the room began to dim, and the helmet lit a faint blue. Kate squeezed her eyes shut, and gripped onto the rail, shaking. She felt a hard, large hand covering her's and knew Alex did care that she was not going to get hurt again. She let her mind relax, and could feel the energy from the machine manipulate her mind, as she began to think of finding mutants, of calling out to them. Suddenly she felt an odd feeling, that only grew more painful by the second. She gritted her teeth, and tried to push through it.

Then, out of no where, a hot, white burning flash of pain struck her head, and she screamed out in pure agony. Immediately, Alex shoved the helmet off of her head, and gripped her forearms, panicking to see if she was okay.

After letting the pain subside, Kate told Alex she was alright. "I'm sorry Hank, I guess I cant use my powers as well as Charles." The scientist shrugged, and fixed his glasses, disappointment in his blue eyes. "I really am sorry Hank."

"It's fine. As long as you are okay." And she nodded to him.

"So we are definitely not trying that again." Alex informed the two.

OoOoOo

"Man," Darwin groaned, as he studied Alex playing pinball, his score quick increasing, "you're killing me." He joked, and Alex chuckled.

"I've just had a lot of time." When Kate heard the statement, she snorted.

'_Yeah, that's it.'_ She thought to him, and he growled low in his throat, but never turned to face her.

She sat perched on the arm rest of one couch Hank and Sean were sitting on, across from them were Angel and Raven. The five teens had gotten into deep conversation about different things, playing little games in getting to know each other more. First it was 'The Craziest Thing You've Done' to which Raven won by pretending to be a member of different families, and taking their food. Although Kate was close behind in second with smuggling herself in an old couple's camper, as she rode with them, without them acknowledging her, and they took her from somewhere in Texas all the way to New Jersey.

Then Raven came up with a game called 'Two Truths and a Lie' which is just as the title is. The teens would say three facts about themselves or their pasts, and the others would have to guess which one is the lie. So far, only Kate could stump them with hers. Saying that she met Natalie Wood, which was a lie of course. Some how they had believed her.

They were having a good time until two agents passed by the newly installed window, and glanced inside the room. "Oh, I didn't know the circus was in town!" One, a proud, pudgy man said mockingly. "Come on honey, give us a little-" He directed towards Angel, as he held his arms close to him, pretending to flap imaginary wings, giving a terrible audio of the sounds wings make while stroking. Angel gave him a disgusted look, and his eyes roamed over onto Kate. "Oh here, hey magician, try this," then he straightened up, holding his hands behind his back, "how many fingers am I holding up?" She snarled at him.

"Just one." And she flipped him off, as she stood and strolled over to the window, before flicking the switch to close the yellow curtains over it. He complained at her as they began closing, and she smirked at them, giving a little wave.

Raven glanced at the two girls. "They were just being guys." She stated.

Angel glared at her. "Guys being stupid I can handle, okay, but I've handled that my whole life. But I'd rather have a bunch of guys stare at me with my clothes off, than the way these ones stare at me." And she slammed her cup hard on the counter.

"At us." Kate added, and the others look to her.

The brunette wrung her hands, crossing her legs, and wrapping her ankles around at each other, as she remembered being made fun of by scientists and other observers when she was at the institute. The awful, cruel things they use to say to her and the others. That's why she ran away, to hide from the prejudice the humans had on her kind. But she guessed that didn't last long.

Her thoughts scrambled the moment a thud rung out, and she, as well as the others, stopped what they were doing, and let their eyes roam in confusion around the room. It didn't seem like anything, until another, louder, thud was heard.

"What was that?" Darwin asked, then glanced to Kate. She couldn't pick up anything, just the thuds. No thoughts or anything. She shrugged. He shook his head a little. "Something doesn't feel right." He declared to the others. He marched over to switch the curtains open, and the other mutants followed, as they all peered out the window, searching for something. A few more thuds happened, and finally Kate caught something.

"Wait!" She told them, and they hastily faced her. "I'm getting something…it's Agent Platt." She listened in, as suddenly he was drug from his seat, and clasped in the arms of, well as he described the man in his thoughts, a devil. They transported, and she glanced up. "There!" She pointed up, and all the others leaned forward, as they witnessed two males floating in the air, silhouetted by the moon. It was Platt, as suddenly, he was released from the devil-thing, and plummeted to the ground. The red figure disappeared, and Platt flew right past the teens eyes, as he fell limp onto the ground, a loud smacking sound following. They backed away with screams, but still stood in front of the window, as chaos unfolded in front of them.

Soon, the courtyard filled with lights, as the alarm howled, and more and more bodies were being dropped by this one man, Kate catching their last words, her stomach clenching more and more as she heard every sentence.

Then more armed agents flooded into the courtyard, protecting their surroundings, as one ordered them to 'Get back' and 'Don't leave the room'. They obeyed him, as they lunged behind the couches, still observing.

Then the red man appeared in the middle of the courtyard, his arms spread out, and the teens pointed and shrieked at the sight of him, causing the agents the swivel and face him.

"Shoot! Shoot!"

They began to spray out bullets towards the man, but he transported once again, this time behind an agent, as he turned and face the man towards the window the kids, as the glass shattered, a few pieces springing towards them.

When they thought that was bad, it just got worse.

A whirling sound appeared behind them, and they quickly snapped their heads back to see a large tornado swirling. It began to tear apart Cerebro, and Hank gave a muffled cry, as the metal of the building began to fly around.

They glanced back to see the red mutant stab two more agents with daggers, and he approached the room.

"Stay here my ass!" Darwin shouted, and made a run for the door, the others close behind. They sprinted down the hall before being blockaded by agents, stopping the teens and shoving them back to the room. "We can help!" Darwin protested.

Then an explosion happened just around the corner, as a large ball of flames burst out, a wave of heat engulfing them, causing the frightened mutants to hurry back to the room.

Upon returning, they found themselves watching the red mutant wrap his tail around on agent's neck, as he swayed the man left and right, another agent trying to shoot at the mutant and not his friend. But it was too late, as the agent shot, the red mutant disappeared, and the other agent took the bullet. The girls cringed and stifled a whimper.

The two mutants stepped into the room from either window. They both sported suits, but that's didn't change the fact as to how powerful they were.

More shots rang out from outside the room, and then they heard a sickening plead.

"Wait! Wait! You want the mutants? They're right through that door. Just let us normal people go, we're-" But he could not say anymore, as a bullet sounded, and then the person the agent was talking to stepped into the room.

It was a tall man, sporting a suit as well, also wearing a ridiculous helmet, but Kate soon realized that helmet is what stopped her from reading his mind. He shut the door, and the brunette's stomach flopped with fear.

"Where's the telepath?" He asked in a brisk tone.

"Not here." The red man replied with a German accent.

"Too bad." Said the main gent, "at least I can take this silly thing off." He removed the helmet, and suddenly Kate's mind filled with his thoughts. _War, survival, the strongest race. _He was thinking of things beyond what she was anticipating.

Alex squeezed her shoulder, and she gave him a teary eyed look. _'It's bad.' _She thought to not only him, but to all of them.

"Good evening, my name is Sebastian Shaw. And I am not here to hurt you." He informed them.

"Freeze!" A last standing agent called.

"Azazel." Shaw ordered, and the red man transported, killing the agent with a swift movement with his dagger, then returning. Kate gaped at him.

"My friends," just the way he began his speech made her clench her jaw. He took a step forward, as he handed the helmet to the man who controlled tornadoes, Riptide. "There is a revolution coming, when mankind who we are, what we can _do._ Each of us will face a choice; be enslaved," Shaw's eyes holding onto Darwin, "or rise up to rule." Now they laid on Raven. "Choose freely, but know that if you are not with us," then he turned to Kate, eyeing her, "then by definition, you are against us. So," he then glanced to Sean, "you can stay, and fight for the people who hate and fear you," then Alex was next, "or you can join me, and live like kings." The rhetoric man said towards Hank, then they shifted towards Angel, "and queens." He finished, holding his hand out for her to take.

'_Angel, don't.' _Kate protested towards her, but the dark haired girl took Shaw's hand, and he lead her towards the courtyard.

"Angel." Raven said shocked.

"Are you kidding me?" Sean inquired with such a malcontent tone.

Angel sighed. "Come on, we don't belong here." Her chocolate eyes were on Kate's blue ones, "and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

Alex gripped tightly onto Kate's hand, and she glanced to him. _'You're better than that.' _He thought to her, and she nodded.

Then Angel and Shaw stood in line in the courtyard, clasping hands.

"We have to do something." Raven murmured emphatically.

'_On it.' _Kate silently replied, as she latently fell into the shadows, seeing a path leading outside.

Alex and Darwin all the while, morphed an act of diversion. "Wait!" Darwin called out, moved towards the villains. "I'm coming with." Kate sucked in a breath. It was just a trick. Nothing more.

"Good choice." Shaw replied, looking smug. "Now tell me about your mutation."

"Well, I adapt to survive, so I guess I'm going with you."

"I like that." The older man snickered. Kate came up behind Shaw, and felt the adrenaline pump through her veins, as she gave him one of her mental screeches, and while he was bent over, covering his ears in agony, she looped her arms around his neck and yanked back.

"Alex!" Darwin called, as he shielded Angel with a scale armor, and Alex stood in front of the rest.

"Get down!" The blonde called out, as he swiveled his hips and torso, the red rings forming.

Azazel was able to peel Kate off of Shaw, and the angered man faced her before Alex's attack. "You little-" but he couldn't finish before turning to stop Alex.

The red rings flung towards the man, but he caught them, shrinking the energy down with his hands, before it dissolved with his skin. They all witnessed with horrified expressions.

"Protecting your fellow mutants, that's a noble gesture." He said, a bit impressed. He moved back to face Kate, and she popped him a punch right in the nose. He gripped it, before clasping a hand around her neck, and brought the struggling brunette up off of her feet. She gagged on his choking grasp, her hands trying to claw it off her neck. "I'm not afraid to hit a girl." He snarled with glee, then swung his free hand, as it connected to the right side of her face, some energy from Alex's power thrown with it, causing her to black out from the impact. He threw her down onto the ground, a crack heard after her limp body collided with the concrete.

"No!" Alex cried, sprinting towards Kate, but Sean yanked him back.

He then faced Darwin, displeased with his little trick he pulled. He gripped the dark skinned man's jaw, and forced it open, as a glowing red ball of Alex's power was held in his palm. "Adapt to this." He embroiled, as he shoved the energy sphere into Darwin's mouth. He then backed away with a evil smile on his lips, watching as Darwin tried to find a way to stop the ball. Then they disappeared.

Darwin tried to find different ways to adapt, but Alex's power was able to destroy the barrier. Then he formed into molten rock, and realized it just wasn't going to work. He faced Alex, and the blonde's eyes widened with terror, as he watched his best friend slowly die. Then the cracks of Darwin's form brightened, and he exploded into only bits and pieces.

And just like that, he was gone forever.

They all stood for a few moments in silence. Then the whole cataclysm sunk in, the remaining mutants scrambling around. Hank ran out the door to find a first aid kit for Kate, Sean and Raven took baby steps towards where Darwin had diminished, and Alex rushed over to Kate, examining her. Already her face was swelling black and blue, a little shadow of blood remained under her head, and her outstretched arm bent an odd way.

Alex screamed out in anger, as he pounded his fists on the ground in front of Kate's face. He was now determined to find Shaw, and kill him along with his adherents. For Darwin. And Kate.

OoOoOo

The remaining teens sat on a concrete bench outside of Division X, waiting for Charles and Erik to return. Raven had told everything to Charles through telepathy. And they would be arriving any moment.

The shape shifter rest Kate's now bandaged head in her lap, stroking her hair, and letting drops of tears fall from her eyes. When they saw a black town car pull up, she quickly stood, letting Alex scoot over, and take Kate's head.

"Raven." Charles called, as he rushed to clasp his sister in a hug. Erik and Moira hurried over to the boys and unconscious Kate. "Is she okay?" Erik asked worried.

"She's recuperating with a concussion and a broken wrist. A black eye too." Hank informed him, and Erik fluttered his hand over her badly bruised temple and eye. He clenched his jaw.

"We've made arrangements for you to be taken home." Charles instructed.

"We're not going home." Sean argued.

"What?"

"He," the redhead gestured towards Alex, "isn't going back to prison."

"And Kate has no where to go." The blonde harshly spoke. "He killed Darwin." He followed up with.

"All the more reason for you to leave."

Raven settled a hand on the telepath. "Charles is dead, and we can't even bury him. Kate's unconscious, and we have no clue when she will wake up." She said exhausted.

"We can avenge them." Erik stated.

"Erik, a word please?" Charles asked, and the two men stepped aside. They then decided that they will train the teens to ready for battle.

"But we cant stay here," Hank pointed out, "Even if they do re-open the department, it's not safe. We have no where to go."

Charles smiled to them. "Yes we do."

* * *

_That is so far one of the longest chapters I have ever written! Geez, and only the second chapter! Well, anyway, let me know what you think. I would love suggestions, advice, or critiquing. _

_Review, Favorite, Follow!_


	4. Chapter 3

_So sorry my lovelies for keeping you waiting, but here it is! I know it's not much, just a filler, with a little Alex/Kate action. (;_

_**Disclaimer: **____I don't own X-Men, in any way or form, I only own my own characters and tweaks to the plot line._

* * *

The blinding light managed to make it's way through the cracks of the satin blue curtains. It peeked it's way inside Kate's eyes, and she gave a started breath, as soon she gained back her senses. She closed her fingers into fists, then flexed them, getting use to the feeling. She could feel air flow in and out of her nose, and hear her surroundings. Finally, she felt alive and well. Maybe not well. Actually, she felt like someone just flattened her out with a rolling pin, and her body ached.

She still couldn't open her eyes, as they were held close with hard crust. She tried to push them open, but could only pry open her left eye, as the more she pushed herself in opening the right one, the more it hurt. Her blue orb peered around the room, and she stifled a moan as she realized she was no longer back at the division.

Was it a hospital room? It didn't look like one. Appeared more as a hotel room, a five star hotel at that. Large, royal blue satin curtains, a canopy bed with matching bronze and blue comforter to the curtain, and a bronze carpet.

She managed to sit up a little less than an inch before her head started spinning, and her wrist screamed in pain. She glanced down at it to see a bland crème cast on it. She broke it? How could she not remember?

She touched her head lightly, as she felt a long bandage wrapped around it. So she hit her head too? It was so sore, and gave little jolts of pain every time she picked up on someone's thoughts.

And it seemed Charles had read hers, as a light rapping came from her bedroom door, then it slowly opened, as the professor poked his head in, surveying the injured girl. He gave a small grin, and let himself into the room. "Good, you're awake." He softly spoke.

"And alive." She returned hoarsely. He gave a breathless chuckle and nodded. She noted his appearance. He looked tired; deep, dark bags underneath his weary blue eyes, and his hair not as neatly parted as it had been before. And when she gazed into his eyes, immediately something was wrong. "Charl-" She suddenly caught his thoughts painfully, and gave a startled whimper, before completely breaking down into tears, sobs raking over her body, shivers sprinting down her spine.

"Kate, love, I'm so sorry-I-" The brunette gave a quiet wail, and he hurried to sit on the foot of the bed, as he squeezed her ankle for reassurment. She trembled with sorrow. The girl had a concussion, broken wrist and black eye from trying to fight off Shaw, he could not, for once, find the right words to say.

"I-I di-did it, did-didn't I?" She choked through weeps. "I-I killed Dar-Darwin." She let the words sink in after she had spoken it. "I killed Darwin!" She practically cried out, and Charles began to shush her.

"No, no you did not. You had nothing to do with the situation." She only shook her knotted brown hair, whimpering more, her lower lip quivering.

"If I-I wasn't such a-a buffoon, then he-he wouldn't have-have died!"

"Katelyn, listen to me. You did nothing of this sort. He died fighting to protect the others, just as you got hurt. You're their hero. They have been saying it ever since we've gotten here." He hesitated, realizing she has no clue where they are, and what is happening. "Get some rest, let your body heal, and I'll inform you about the recent information when you awake." He leaned forward, and delicately planted a kiss on her forehead. The feeling felt so foreign to Kate. She couldn't remember the last time some one had ever done that to her. She welcomed it though.

"Thank you, Charles." He smiled and nodded to her before standing up. He reached the door before turning back.

"The others can't wait to see you. But I think it would be best to wait." She furrowed her brows at him, and he returned her a grin.

"Don't read my mind anymore." Was all she huffed, and he chuckled before stepping out of the room.

Kate sulked back the half an inch into the plush pillows, and closed her heavy eyelids, thinking about anything but what happened to Darwin, but the more she ignored it, the more the thought wiggled into her mind. Soon enough, she was having nightmares, thinking of all the probabilities of how he could have died.

OoOoOo

"Look, I get it and all, but don't you think that's a little irrational?" Raven questioned, wagging her fork at Sean. The redhead gave a pretend, as well as over dramatic frown, raising his eyebrows.

"How so?" She made a face at him saying 'Seriously?'

"Sean, you did not meet Richard Beymer and went out to have lunch, while he talked about his "sercret affair" with Natalie Wood, and now you guys are best pals, and _write each other all the time_!" She says the last part horribly mimicking Sean's voice.

"I don't sound like that!" He protested, and Alex snorted, as he continued eating his lunch, turkey and cheese sandwich. Hank moved his eyes back an fourth between the two.

"Yes, you're lying!" Raven exclaimed, as she shoved a finger in his direction.

"Am not." Sean retorted.

"Yes you are." A new voice chimes in, and four heads sitting at the dining table twist over to glance at Kate, who now entered the room, sporting flannel pajamas and clinging tightly to an extra large knit sweater she found in the closet of her bedroom, probably belonging to Charles's father.

"She lives!" Sean cheered loudly, and Raven quickly stands up, rushing towards Kate's side.

"Sean, shut up." The blonde hissed, as she fastened one hand under Kate's elbow, the other wrapped around the brunette's tiny waist. She was a petite girl compared to the shape shifter, only five foot six, and weighing just barely hundred pounds. It makes her faster though. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Aspirins? Water? W-"

"Raven, I'm fine, I can walk on my own." Quickly, the blonde retracted her helpful hands, and stood before Kate, beaming.

"You're okay." She says softly, as she pulls her into a tight hug, and Kate clutches onto her, letting tears pool up in her eyes. The black eye was slowly opening. "We thought we lost you there for a second."

"I'm fine. I'm here." The brunette returns with a sincere tone. They pulled away, and Kate wiped away her tears, sniffling. She took in the other teens, now down to five of them instead of seven. Each person she made eye contact with, she encountered their point of view from the night of Shaw's invasion. She saw herself be knocked out, and Darwin blown up in four different pairs of eyes, and it made her stomach flop, boil and squeeze. She then let her overwhelming emotions get the best of her, as she broke down in front of them too.

Alex was the first to react. He had never seen Kate cry, in the four years they have known each other, and it broke his heart to see her in such terrible shape like this. He leapt out of his seat, and strode across the dining room. When she saw how fast his pace was, it quickly brought back memories of when Alex got so furious with her, he would take long strides towards her, and plant a punch or harsh slap to her face. On instinct, she flinched.

He immediately stopped, watching the pain flash in her eyes. He then slowly holds out his arms for her, and she bored deep into his sky blue eyes, before practically leaping into them. She buried her face into his chest, her hands gripping his gray sweatshirt tightly, as he wrapped one hand behind her head, and the other around her lower back. He shushed softly to her, and she began to relax to his sweet tone. They hadn't even acknowledge that the other's were watching, but that did not seem to phase the two. The remaining three sat there awkwardly, and Sean decided to find a quick distraction from the whole situation.

"Group hug!" He called out, and Kate was the first to chuckle, giving the rest an approval to do so. The gang of teens swarmed Kate and Alex, and they all wrapped their arms around each other.

"Charming." Erik said behind the group, and all of the teens broke apart, as they glanced to the older man. When his dull blue eyes rested on Kate's, his always strict, hard expression softened, until she read sympathy in his gaze. He quickly shook his head, and glanced at the others. "Next up." He directed towards the boys.

"Next up for what?" Kate asked so innocently, Raven couldn't suppress a tiny 'awe' as if a two year old had asked the question. The brunette chuckled once more, glimpsing towards her friend.

"Oh!" Charles exclaimed, now entering the room, strolling past Erik, "I forgot to mention. In order for us to…well, like I had said before…" He was scrambling to find a way to put his sentence, and Erik huffed.

"We're training you all to take control of your powers, and to ready you for another fight against Shaw. He's a powerful mutant-"

"I know." Kate grumbled.

"-And he will not stop until he completes his mission. That's where we come in." Erik finished with a smug expression. She nodded. The room quickly grew silent, as everyone indulged into their own thoughts.

"I'll go." Kate finally offered.

"Actually, I was planning on working with you later, around the evening. We'll focus on your manipulation with darkness, then later on we can enhance your telepathy." Charles said. She smiled to him.

"I have a feeling I'm not the one who needs the enhancing." She flashed him a wicked, cheeky grin, and a quick wink as the others budged with an 'Ooh', even Sean mumbled 'Charles got schooled'. He shook his head chuckling.

"We'll see." He returned, and the others laughed at their little show down. "Well, Cassidy, I guess you're up." And the redhead gave the professor a baffled look.

"Seriously?" He moaned.

"Seriously." Charles responded with a smile.

OoOoOo

Kate roamed the hallways of the enormous mansion, as she picked out little details and artifacts set on tables. She glimpsed at the old photos of Charles and his parents, relatives, and such. She was now clean, dressed, and feeling a lot better than before. Her hand lightly trickled over a silver frame of Charles and Raven smiling at each other, as they sat on a picnic blanket, behind them settled an enormous pond with a dock and boats. The photo must have been set up, but they looked so happy together, and it made Kate's heart swell. She couldn't remember anything about her life before she was captured. All she had was an old fashion key that she made into a necklace. She didn't know what it opened, but it was the only thing that she owned to her name.

Katelyn. That was her name. Lancer was just something she made up. Who was she? She always asked herself that. And no matter how hard she tried to delve into her own mind, deeper and deeper past all of her thoughts and memories, she could never pick out anything.

_Frantically, the small ten year old girl startled awake. She was strapped to a metal table, restraints on her ankles and wrists. Her head tried to lift up, but immediately it fell back from feel so dizzy. She tried to scream, but nothing came out of her mouth. Again she tried, this time trying to move her limbs, screaming and shouting for help, but that only thing that could be heard was shuffling and gasps for air. _

"_Ah, miss Katelyn, you're awake. You surgery went well, and soon we shall be seeing improvement in your abilities. But for now we need to continue tests." A man said proudly in a thick French accent, a face mask covering his nose and mouth, blue latex gloves on his hands, a enormous white coat draped over his shoulders, a name tag saying _Lance _on it. She could tell the way his cheeks were moving underneath the mask that he was smiling. He then turned his back to her, snatching something off of the small metal display table, containing many utensils and tools. He faces her with a large needle in one hand, and a plastic oxygen mask in the other. He approached her, as he placed the mask over her nose and mouth, and forced her to inhale and exhale, as he injected the needle into a vein in her arm. She winced, but soon couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel anything, as suddenly her senses were lost. She started laughing uncontrollably as she slowly went under, finally everything fading to black._

The brunette fiddles her hand over the old key that laid against her hot skin on her chest. She sighs, turning around to make her way back to the others when she collides into something. She gasps in surprise, and stumbles lightly, as large hand clasp around her waist, steadying her. She glances up into the eyes of the person she ran into, and see's Alex peering right back at her.

She gulps, not even realizing how dry her throat is. "S-sorry." She mutters to him. She felt stupid at the moment, not even acknowledging that he was behind her, probably watching her have her flash back.

"No, I was my fault." His breath felt warm against her skin, and it only made it burn more. She gave a weak smile. He held her gaze, smiling softly back at her. What was going on? Why is he doing this? "In those months I spent in solitary confinement, I thought a lot about you." That statement startled her, why would he care about her, for all the things he did, but she only stared back at him, waiting for him to continue. "I felt awful about the way I treated you, and if I ever saw you again, I would apologize."

"So is this you apologizing?" She asked with a hint of flirtation in her tone. Now what was she doing?

"I think so." He returned, leaning in closer towards her. She stood on her toes, finding herself moving closer.

"Intimate. But erotically disturbing for others to see." Erik murmured, as he passed by the two in the tight hallway, strolling to his room. They both watched him open the door, and he give one last glance to them, before disappearing from their sight. Alex rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and Kate swiftly swiveled away from him.

"I-uh-I'm going to go to…" She stuttered.

"Yeah." He responded, and the two quickly headed different directions.

OoOoOo

"Okay, Kate, I want you to start of by showing us what you can do." The brunette stood before Charles, her feet shoulder length apart, holding her ground as the back porch light cast a glow over her, Charles and Moira. She held eye contact with Charles, slightly afraid of what he was going to do. She could trust him, she does trust him, but somewhere in the back of her mind, something keeps telling her that he only wants to use her as a weapon, not help her. "It's alright." He toned in. She narrowed her blue eyes onto him.

Kate took in a deep breath, before twisting around, and slowly submerging herself into the shadows of the night. It engulfed her, and she was lost from their sight. Charles chuckled, and Moira gaped in awe.

"Fascinating." The telepath muttered, hands shoved into his sweat outfit's pockets. Kate moved back towards them, and a half grin plastered itself on her pale lips. "Amazing." _There's so much potential. _She caught from him, and smirked, knowing he was thinking this to himself.

"So what, Professor?" She asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"Do you have control over it?" He chimed.

"Control?"

"Yes, as in can you contain your power? Can you chose to manifest into shadows?"

"Well…no, I guess. I kind of just touch them, and then I'm gone." She implied.

"Interesting." Charles muttered. "Now, Kate, this time when you reach the dark, concentrate on showing yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Close your eyes, and see yourself in your mind not disappearing." She gulped, hating the fact of doing this. She once again retreated towards the comforting shadows, as she stepped into them, and closed her blue eyes, seeing herself walk upon the darkness, and not fade from the naked eye. "It's working!" Charles exclaimed happily. Kate opened her eyes to see herself, and only saw the darkness. Charles huffed, and stroked his chin in examining what had happened. "Well, it seems you lost your concentration," he paused, "Give it another go."

Kate continued for minutes upon minutes on trying to keep herself opaque, and after what felt like ages, but was only about ten minutes, she still couldn't do it. She groaned in frustration.

"You're tired," Charles finally insisted, "we'll continue this later. But for now, I was wanting to try something else." He turned towards Moira, and whispered softly to her. Kate tried to pick up his words, but even his low tone made it impossible. The CIA agent nodded understandingly, and set off back to the manor, giving the two privacy.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked, watching the woman leave them.

"I want to play a little mind game." The young girl couldn't help but give off a mischievous smile.

"Sure."

* * *

_Well? Thanks for reading, and please give me feed back, suggestions on what you want, and critiquing, I want it all!_

_Review, Favorite, Follow!_


	5. Chapter 4

_Holy crap! It's been a long time since we've seen each other! Wow! Sorry guys! I had finals, and other events going on, I was so busy. And I've been writing this for nearly three months, and it's quite shitty. I'm sorry, but things will progress more, and it will get better! I promise! So here is just another filler chapter, but you get to learn a few things about some characters!_

_**Disclaimer:** ______I don't own X-Men, in any way or form, I only own my own characters and tweaks to the plot line._

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"Relax. We cannot do this with so many things already on your mind." Charles says, as the two are seated on elegant, brass chairs outside of the mansion. The moon has risen above the trees, and the nocturnal animals have invited themselves out in the dark. A gloom yellow light glints over the two, so the professor can maintain eye contact with his contender. A delicate smile splays on her pale lips, as her blue-gray eyes hold onto his.

"You're cheating already." She retaliates, as she tilts her head down, her eyes narrowing down upon him, the smile revealing her white teeth. They had set rules on this little shenanigan. They will depict each other's mind once they begin a countdown. The point is to basically show what they can do with their telepathy.

Charles throws his hands up in a gesture for surrender, his brows raised, with a soft grin. "Okay, my apologies. Ready?" He asks. Kate gives a quick nod. "Three, two, one."

On instinct, Kate raises her mental block, which other's see as a glowering shield that cannot let them penetrate anything she withholds. He gives a slight pouting look, but pushes it away, as he then presses his index and middle finger to his forehead, and closes his eyes. "Unfair." She hisses, and he chuckles.

"Well you are the one who did put up your shield." He returns. Kate could no longer see Charles, as he had hidden himself from her sight. Even if he couldn't penetrate her thoughts, he could still trick her mind.

Kate decides to go deeper into Charles's mind, to get past his fake thoughts he put out for her, and to drag out a memory. She had been so careless when trying to dissect his mind, her guard was dropped, and Charles gained entrance.

It wasn't a good idea.

She sees something she should have never seen. Charles's father's death when he was just a young boy. His widow mother drawing in her late husband's science partner, the two soon marrying. The defiling man dragging his own son into Charles's home, the two newcomers trying to embed themselves in the young telepath's life. Charles being abused, his mother driving herself into alcoholism. It was enough for Kate to see. She immediately pulled herself back to reality, selected tears have dripped from her glazed eyes.

Charles had seen one of her awful times in the institute, doctors torturing, saying it was for 'tests', when Kate took the painful injections to enhance her powers, the surgical procedure to obtain night vision. The other mutants she sees, failures. Every one out of five are actual successful experiments. Charles could not take it anymore. He viewed Kate with a watery gaze, a sympathetic look sprawled across his face. Grief striking both of them.

"I'm so sorry." They simultaneously muttered.

"I would never have suspected." Charles first said.

"All this time you hid yourself from a painful past." Kate returned. They soaked up the silence.

"I guess we all do not know much about each other." He finally broke the quiet.

"Maybe we could change that." Kate suggested with a shrug of her shoulders.

OoOoOo

Twilight had dawned upon Xavier Manor. It had been a few hours after Charles's and Kate's training, and she still couldn't stop thinking of how every single person in the house had secrets, pasts unspoken. How they all could possibly be running from pain and tragedy, but it's not her place to be. She never thought twice about if she should read someone's mind. It's trespassing of privacy, and she knew she wouldn't want someone to be doing that to her.

She laid wide awake in her bed, as she picked away at her cast, her eyes spacing out, her mind somewhere else, when she heard something. A creaking of sort. She sat up softly, and her eyes held onto her door, as the sound grew louder, and soon she knew clearly it was foot steps. She got up, and hesitated by her door, until the muffled noises were faint. She then crept out her door, and followed the suspect as she caught their shadow turning to the left in the hallway.

With quiet feet, and making sure to be in line with the shadows, and stalked behind. Soon she was close enough to try and take out the figure's features. Her night vision is not very strong. But before she could even make out their face, a voice spoke. "I should have known you would follow me." It was hollow, and low.

Kate stepped into the speck of light the gleaming moon gave off. "Sorry. I was curious as to why you would be up and lurking around past midnight." She responded to Erik, and moved forth towards him.

"Could not sleep. But I should be asking you the same." He gravely says.

Kate shrugs. "Got a lot on my mind," she thinks twice, but lets it slip, "and I'm nocturnal. Happens when your main power is the manipulation of darkness and shadows."

"Manipulate? More like uncontrollable ability to blend in with the dark." He chuckles, and she narrows her eyes upon him.

"That where Charles comes in," she response calmly, "at least he can help teach me how to work on my abilities, and not make fun of them."

The side of his lip crocks up. "True." They stand there, giving moments of awkward silence, then he begins to slip away towards the kitchen. His movement gave Kate a beckoning signal to follow him.

Once there, he digs in the fridge, and tugs out a bottle of beer. He glances over at her once she sat on the island counter watching him. "Want one?" He asks.

She scuffs at him, her brows raised, and expression saying 'seriously?'. He gives a soft chuckle and shakes his head, as he pulls out a bottle of pop for her. She gladly takes it, and he pops off the caps of both drinks. The two take a swig of their bottles before Erik speaks.

"So, what was life like for you before Charles and I hunted you down and dragged you here against your will?" His back leans against the island beside her, as his eyes roamed over the pictures hanging on the wall papered walls.

Kate glanced down at her bottle, her right index finger tracing the rim of the bottle, as she stayed mute after hearing his question. It was a long enough silence to notify him, and let him glimpse over at her. "Or…don't answer my question." He says brashly.

She gave a soft sigh. "I-uh- was an…experiment." She let her sentence sink in for him. "When I was about nine or ten, I was…I guess kidnapped, and brought to a private institute. It must have been off the charts and maps, because what they did there was something inexplicably unspeakable. Let's just say I was not born with these powers." The last bit was muttered, but the metallokinetic caught it. She decided to continue. "I escaped when I was fourteen, and made my away from where ever the institute was to New Jersey. That's where I met Alex."

"So you don't know where the institute was?" Erik chimed in.

She shook her brown locks, and frowned slightly. "Not specifically, but somewhere in Texas/Louisiana area." He nods in understanding, and lets her continue. "Well, Alex took me into his gang, and they kind of…tormented me. For being special. I never suspected Alex had powers. I was afraid to read his mind. Anyway, I set a trap for him to fall into, called the police to have them captured, and charges were pressed for trespassing, theft, and abuse. I guess he put himself into solitary confinement."

"And you two are…what friends?"

"Uh, I guess. He promised that he would never hurt me again," she couldn't stop talking though, "he said he thought a lot about me when he was locked up, and said he was mad at himself for hurting me. But I'm sure he is still mad at me for what I had done."

"Well us men do not hold grudges for eternity like you women do." Kate rolls her eyes at him, and playfully smacks his chest. Erik rubs his area afterwards with a pathetically fake look of hurt. She smiled softly at him.

"Should I even begin to ask about what your life was like?" She asks him, as she finishes off her pop.

"Probably not. But I can say…it was very much like yours." She nods. "Now go off to bed."

"Manners, mister." She joked.

He only glared upon her, and her eyes once more rolled. She hopped off the counter, and turned to face him. They lock hold of each other's gaze, frozen in their spots. She then suddenly stepped into his private bubble, and wrapped her arms around his upper back, pressing the side of her face against his chest. He only stood there awkwardly, but never resisted or pushed her off of him. "Thank you." She whispered softly.

"For what?" He asked confused.

"For listening." She then stepped back, and turned on her heel, stalking off to her room. "Good night." She quietly calls back to him.

"Night." He huffs back and watches as she manifests back into the shadows. Something inside of him stirred. A feeling of…liking for the young girl. Of…protecting her. She reminded him so much of his own little sister he had way back. Same eyes, hair…smile. But that was before the Holocaust ruined his life, before Shaw ruined his life.

OoOoOo

Morning crept into Kate's bedroom, and stormed into her vision, as her eyes fluttered open. She released a small groan as she tried to move her stiff muscles in her neck to face the enormous clock mounted on the bedroom wall. It was 11:13. _Well, _she thought to herself, _time to get up._

As she headed down the hallway, she could hear chatting, and entered the living room to find Sean, Raven and Alex. Where were the others? Still groggily from just getting up, she forced her legs to lead her into the room further, where three heads snapped to her direction. Everyone was all dressed and ready for the day, while Kate lounged in her pajamas. She could honestly care less.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Sean cooed to her, and she sent him a glare, as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Don't talk to me." She growled lowly, as she began to make herself a bowl of corn flakes. The three snicker, and she starts to pour out the milk, which comes out lumpy, and the sour odor hits her nose, as she gags from the stench.

"Oh yeah! Milk is spoiled!" Raven called, and Kate exaggerated a groan. She's living with idiots.

She settled for toast and jam. She sat on the arm rest of the couch next to Alex, and watched whatever was on the television screen. "Where's Hank?" She asked softly, still engrossed in watching some crap about Jackie Kennedy's style.

"He's in the lab, working on something." Alex replied.

"Also, Charles and Erik are training." Raven informed.

"And Moira?" Kate hastily questioned.

"With Charles and Erik."

They spend the next few minutes just in a trance of the little segment, before Kate finished her breakfast, and stalked off to get ready. She took a shower, soaking herself with the hot water, then afterwards dressed in a nice, collared, blue baby doll dress. She decided she needed time to ponder on her thoughts by herself while the others move about, switching out for training, and distracting themselves with something else to do.

She navigated herself into the maze of the flower garden, admiring the beauty of each individual flower, as well as thinking. She knew in her mind it was best to let the others know. She can't stay in one place for long. Being in connection with the government, there is no doubt the institution will try to seek her contact information and hunt her down. She will probably have to take off soon, and they need to know why she wasn't there when they had awaken one morning. Already three of them know, so she has yet to tell the boys, and possibly Moira too.

Kate continued to slowly stroll by each bush, every plant, all the trees, and observe the plantation that grows about. This place was magnificent. A true paradise. Kate had only dreamed of a place like this, and now she was living here.

She sighed. How long would she be living there though? What if they do beat Shaw? It won't be long afterwards before she has to split away at dusk. She can't bare to do it, but it's the best for her, and for the others. The last thing she wants is for the institute to track her down, and bring the others into her disastrous life as well.

Something struck her ears, and she soon began to listen in on the thoughts of Raven. Kate stood there admiring a small statue of a child cupid. It was adorable, and awkward to gaze upon. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Raven asked, the question directed about the garden.

"It's breath taking. How could you and Charles ever live in such hardship?" The two girls softly laughed, until it droned out, and they stood there mesmerized by the flowers. "Raven?" Kate shyly spoke.

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm going to tell the others about…the truth of how I really got my powers. So that when you wake up one morning and see that I'm not there, you'll know why I'm gone."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been in governmental territory, the institute probably discovered my contact information, infiltrated my location, and are planning to hunt me down. The last thing I want is for you all to get mixed into my life. Then, when you find I'm not there, you'll know why I had to leave." Raven's mouth hung open, as she stared at brunette.

"Kate…that's just ridiculous. We are in a secure place, no one knows how to get here. We're off maps, charts. You'll be safe. We'll protect you-"

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean you won't get hurt. These people, this place, it's hell on earth. They have technology decades in advancement compared to what is now a days. They will find this place, for what ever it takes, and they will hunt me down. And-and I need to leave here before they can get here. Even if we do beat Shaw, I still need to leave." She was done trying to explain, and Raven was done trying to argue. They left the conversation there.

Now all Kate needed to do was find the right time to tell everyone.

* * *

_What did you think?_

_I just wanted to say quickly, that I understand that Alex was not in a gang when he was younger, Charles may or may not have been abused when he was younger, and if Erik did or did not have a little sister, but it's all things I said in order to fit with the plot line. _

_Any who,_

_Review, Favorite, Follow!_


	6. Chapter 5

_Hello fellow readers! I am back! So sorry for taking so long! But I have another chapter! ...except that it's yet another filler. I think another chapter or so might go before I bring them into the big battle! Anyway, enjoy!_

___**Disclaimer:** I don't own X-Men, in any way or form, I only own my own characters and tweaks to the plot line_

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Her thin fingers flexed, then one by one she curled them back into her palm, and slowly she rotated her wrist. She winced slightly from the pain, and a delicate hand was placed onto her arm, a calm voice commanding she stops trying. Kate turned towards Hank, scowling at him for disrupting her. His lips form a hard line, and he once again shakes his head. She rolls her eyes, but obeys. Her wrist still isn't healed, but how could it in just a week or so? She was just going to have to push through the pain, and try to not break it again.

She was sitting on the cool metal counter of Hank's laboratory, plopped next to his microscope, as she chatted with him and tried flexing her wrist, but failure being the only results every time. "You know what the definition of insanity is?" Hank asked her as she once more attempted to move her hand. She crocked an eyebrow, but maintained her focus on what she was doing.

"Hitler." She half-heartedly replied.

"No. That is some what disrespectful-"

"But it's true." She interrupted.

"Anyway, the definition is doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same results, but you still hope for a new one." Kate rolled her eyes, and threw her arms into the air.

"Fine! My wrist is broken! I just bloody wanted to see if I could move it, but you keep disrupting my attempts."

"Kate, you know that it's still too fragile to even test it. I shouldn't have even taken off your cast. A broken wrist can take up to a month and half to heal properly." Hank persisted, only trying to have her comprehend what he's saying, not make her even more frustrated.

"Well we don't have two damn months before we risk our lives to try and hunt down Shaw, now do we?" She gave the red cheeked boy a glare before hopping of the desk and storming out of the room. She shut the door behind her, and rested her back against it. _This damn wrist! _She thought, _how am I suppose to fight if I can't even move it? _She growled low in her throat, and stalked off further into the mansion. She was coming down a dim lit hallway, and her pace hindered, as she began to wonder.

Slowly, she reached out, catching a shadow with her hand, and quickly she faded from the naked eye. She bit the inside of her cheek, concentrating, took a step back, and this time she brought her hand out, then pinching shut her eyes, and imagined herself staying three-dimensional, as she stepped into the shadow. Her eyes fluttered open, with the thought of maintaining her original form and not changing, and saw her accomplishment. She squealed with glee, and quickly her trance dropped.

Quickly she hurried down the hall, winding through the constrict hallways, until she made it into the foyer. _Charles!_ She thought urgently to him. _Charles!_ She chimed louder, and the professor could be heard quickly walking from what must have been his office, as he made it into the foyer. "I did it!" Kate cheered as he came into her view.

"What?" He asked baffled, and soon enough another pair, or a few more at that, of footsteps followed along with the chatter.

"I can make myself not blend in!"

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he opened his mouth, before it twined into a smile. "Well let's see!" She nodded excitedly, and moved towards the shadow cast from one of the lamps. She closed her eyes, and stepped into the space, musing, focusing. Her eyelids rolled up, and with the thought the only thing on her mind, she smiled widely as she stood there in solid form. The others had joined as well, and everyone was grinning with happiness.

"Congratulations." Charles said as he clapped a hand on her shoulder, and she quickly hugged him.

"Thank you."

"It was all you, Kate."

"I know." She chuckled. Finally, she had something worth being glad about.

OoOoOo

They spent the day working on different tactics and ways of controlling their abilities, having their individual trainings with Charles. Kate soon found herself entranced with the weight room. She had been dying to do **something** other than mope around and venture. Something to waste time. She immediately went to the punching bag.

_Thirteen-year-old Kate stood in the gymnasium, as she worked out with her trainer. "Arms up, remember protective stance, feet shoulder width apart, right foot in front. Good, now just begin with the right and left hooks." And soon the teen was engrossed into the sport of boxing. It was as if someone put her in a trance, and the only way to break the spell was for someone to disrupt her. She would constantly bring out various combinations, left hook, right undercut, left sweep round-house, or maybe left jab, right straight, left hook and ending with a bolo punch, but whatever it was she came out as the winner. She would box other experiments who were learning, dummies, even the hired trainers, and each time she came out on top. _

The brunette tied up her hair, wrapped her knuckles and feet, then got into her stance. She closed her blue-gray eyes, let her surroundings fade, letting only the serene feeling of it just being her and the punching bag. She first just worked slowly on popping out each hand, as it carefully, but swiftly, hit the air. She did this for a minute, until she felt her hands were ready, and then she began to move on to the bag. Her left hand shot out, striking the bag with a straight, and she was about to hit with her right, as her fist threw forward, and connected with thin air. Dumbfounded, she opened her eyes in shock, and saw the bag levitating over her head. She whirled around, and found Erik with his brows raised at her.

"Will you ever learn?" He questioned.

She scoffed, and scrunched her nose. "I have it wrapped tight! Besides, I was being careful!" She protested.

"By the looks of it, it kind of seemed to me you even forgot that you broke your wrist." Her face was burning red.

"Give me back the bag." Was her only demand.

"I think I might just leave it here." He snickered softly.

Kate pinched the brim of her nose, as her other hand clenched in a tight fist, the pain still lingering. "Please."

Erik soon became very serious, as his eyes hardened. The bag dropped to the ground behind her, and he started to move towards her. "Kate, the only reason I'm doing this is because it is the best for you. We need every person we can get to be able to stop Shaw-"

"I still do not know how I can be much of help-"

"Because you can fight," he pauses, "But with this broken wrist, it will make things challenging. I understand. You're a strong girl, and right now you need to focus of your powers, not your agility and strength. I know already you are a great fighter."

She shoves her hands in the pockets of her sweat outfit, and avoids his eye contact, with was fierce.

"Fine." She grumbles, and stalks past him.

OoOoOo

"You seem angry." Alex says with his charismatic attitude and wears one of his charming smiles on his face, as he leans against the refrigerator, watching Kate search inside of it for something to snack on. She so badly though wanted to face him and smack the grin right off.

Instead, she plucked an apple from inside, and slammed the door, not gazing at him. Alex trotted behind her quick pace, following her into the dinning room. "What's the matter, runt?" Now she knew that he was becoming slightly frustrated, just by saying her old nickname.

"You, ass wipe." She sneered back, taking a bite from the juicy red fruit.

He placed a hand over his heart, and gave her a hurt look. "That hurts." His jest died down though, and his blue eyes watched her with slight concern. "Okay, really what's wrong?"

Everything was wrong. She could not grasp anything, find words to say, and she felt numb all the time. She felt as if she was no use to the group for when they must confront Shaw. What can she do, blend in and watch the others die? And then there is the after math, of having to run away again, disappear to somewhere no one can find her. She wanted to tell him, she needed to, but she just some how could not find the right way to put it. Maybe if she showed him? No. That was some what personal, and she's still trying to trust him. She only hopelessly gazed at Alex.

His brows knitted together, and watched her facial expressions, worried. "Kate?" She sighed deeply.

"I-I cant…" She trailed.

"Cant what?" He questioned.

"I cant…I don't…what to say…" Her words in staccatos.

"You can tell me. You can trust me know, right?" She held his gaze, trying to see through him, to see what he holds inside him.

She nodded slowly. Then began to talk. Well, attempted to. "I-I…before we met…how do I say this?" She bit her lower lip. She instead took his hand, close her fingers around it, and let the memories flow.

Of the institute, the torture, the tests, the other experiments, all through her eyes. She was watching him as his eyes were tightly shut, his jaw clenching, as he experienced what hell was like for Kate. Slowly her fingers began to detach from him, and his eyes fluttered open.

"I'm not a mutant-I mean, I was not born as one-"

"You were made as one." He said for himself more than for her. He ran a hand through his hair.

"I had to show you, because this place, they have high technology, impeccable ways of locating things, me, and I know they will come for me." She hesitated, "They've found me before." This she had never told anyone.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, before I joined your gang, in Kingsley, I was on the run, traveling to different states. At one point, I had hitched a ride in someone's camper. They never knew though. As they were at a stop at a grocery store, the institute had been following us. They barged into the camper, and took me out. I had to fight to get them off, with all my strength, I got away. But it wasn't so easy." She collected the material of her shirt in her fingers, as she eased it up, revealing up above her left hip a round scar. A bullet wound.

Alex's eyes widened, and he leaned forward, examining it, as his fingers reached out, and lightly brushed over the spot. She bit her lower lip, as his feathery touch grazed her skin. A shiver ran down her spine, and he noticed.

His gaze shifted up to face her, and his laid on her lips. Slowly he inched towards her, and she moved to meet him. They softly touched foreheads, before their lips crashed against each other. The kiss was light, but it left a tingling sensation when they broke apart. He smiled at her, and she returned the wide grin.

She had been wanting that for so long. And now she wanted more. They both leaned in to kiss again, their lips centimeters apart before Sean entered the room. He balked the moment he saw the two. He cleared his throat, and the two teens jumped apart from each other. "Uh, you're up, Opaque." Kate glanced between the two boys, and then quickly hustled past them, hurrying out of the room. Sean watched her go, before facing Alex. He raised his brows at him.

"What?" Alex snapped.

"Well, I guess there goes another girl I almost had a chance with!" He proclaimed, throwing his arms up in defeat.

Alex rolled his eyes in response, and stormed past the red-head. A small smile remained perched on his lips.

* * *

_So? Yeah, sorry about the filler. I've just been so busy, and running low on creativity. IDEAS PEOPLE! I NEED SOME HELPFUL IDEAS! PLEASE!_

_Review, Favorite, Follow!_


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